A Summer by My Side
by yourSECRETKEEPER
Summary: Sally Jackson did not believe that the man standing in front of her was a god. There was just no way. And yet, his being a god was the only explanation that seemed to make sense. Sally/Poseidon written for PJO Shipweeks 2014.


This is my piece for Percy Jackson Shipweeks 2014. It's week one Sally/Poseidon and I was feeling inspired by all the art on tumblr! I set out to write a cute fluffy bit, but it came out rather angsty I'm afraid. Oh well, I hope you enjoy!

Sally was standing with her feet in the water on the shore of Montauk as a particularly large wave crashed against her legs, spraying her face with a soft mist. She closed her eyes and breathed in the salty air, letting the scent of the ocean fill her nose. Although she permanently resided in New York City, for Sally, the beach would always be home.

She had been coming to this same little beach house in Montauk with her parents for years. They made the journey for the summer for five years until both her mother and father died in a plane crash. Sally couldn't remember much about her parents since she'd been a child when they passed away. She still had the pictures of them from old family albums but she had no vivid recollection of them aside from the summers at the shore.

Her Uncle Rich had done his best after the crash. He brought her up and even managed to take some time off work so that Sally could go to Montauk like she'd done with her parents. But then Rich got very sick very fast. Sally had to leave high school in the middle of her senior year to take care of him. She hadn't minded it. He took her in when she had no one else; it was the least she could do. But when he died three years later, it left her without much money, it had all gone to his medical bills, and without an education.

So Sally had to take up some small jobs. Not many people were willing to hire a woman who hadn't even graduated from high school. But Sally worked where she could while simultaneously studying to finish her GED. That summer, when a waitressing position opened up in Montauk Sally knew she had to have it. She would do anything to get back to the beach where she had most of her truly happy memories.

As she opened her eyes again Sally slowly scanned the horizon. It was beautiful by the ocean at this time of day. The sun was sitting low in the sky and she loved the way the water reflected the color. Then, out of nowhere, a man appeared standing in the surf 50 feet in front of her. Sally had to stifle a scream. He had appeared literally out of thin air and was brandishing a weapon that looked scarily like a trident. There was a chance she had turned away and missed his appearance but Sally didn't think that was the case. She blinked, trying to register what has happening. The man in question looked right past her and focused his eyes on a floating bottle cap.

"Stupid mortals and their stupid litter," he muttered angrily.

"What did you just say?!" Sally exclaimed. The pure absurdity of the situation hit her. Had he just said mortals?! The man spun around and looked at her so fast that Sally feared he might have just given himself whiplash. His sea green eyes widened as he registered the fact that she was looking right at him. He dropped the golden trident and it disappeared into the waves.

"You can see me," he said breathlessly. It wasn't a question but Sally felt the need to respond.

"Yes and you still haven't answered my question," she pointed out. Something about this man was not right. He was tall, tanned, and muscular. He had jet-black hair, a small amount of facial hair, and eyes the color of the water at their feet. But when Sally looked closer, she couldn't even determine what his age might be. He could have been 21 like her or he could have been 35, it was impossible to tell. He had an otherworldly quality about him.

"I said stupid mortals and their stupid litter," the man sighed. So Sally had heard him right.

"Mortals…" she repeated, trying to understand what was happening. Her brain couldn't quite catch up.

"Yes," he nodded.

"And you're not mortal?" Sally asked hesitantly. The man shook his head. He was staring at her very intently. It was starting to make her uncomfortable.

"Then what are you?" Sally had a very bad feeling that she was not going to like the answer he gave her. He smiled and said quite simply,

"A god." There was a moment of silence in which Sally didn't speak. Then she burst out laughing. A god?! Yeah right. She giggled hysterically. Everything about the past few minutes was just not real, a figment of her imagination perhaps.

"Are you feeling okay?" the man wondered.

"Oh yes," Sally replied still laughing. "That was a very good joke."

"I wasn't joking," she man told her.

"Right right of course not," she rolled her eyes. Clearly this man liked to play pranks or something.

"Suit yourself," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. He waved his arm in the air and the trident came zooming out of the water back into his hand. Sally's jaw went slack. The man grinned at her. Clearly, he was enjoying this.

"Who are you," she whispered taking a step back. She felt like it might be wise to put some distance between herself and whatever this man might be.

"I told you. I'm a god. God of the sea if we have to be specific," he spoke as casually as if they were discussing the weather.

"God of the sea," she murmured to herself.

"Poseidon if you will," was his casual response.

"I don't believe you," Sally shook her head and took another step back so that her feet hit dry sand. Slowly, Sally edged further back away from the water and towards the safety of the cabin she always stayed at.

"You can see through the mist," he declared smiling at her. That caught her attention.

"I can see through the what?" she asked, pausing in her retreat.

"Mist. It's what stops most mortals from seeing the world for what it really is," the man, Sally refused to think of him as Poseidon, tried to explain.

"You're crazy," she said shaking her head at him.

"You see things that no one else can see," he said still smiling. "You dismiss them as a figment of your imagination. But they are always there, lurking in the corner of your eye." Sally considered making a run for it when she realized that he was right.

She _had_ always been able to see things that no one else could. Ever since she was small, Sally had a knack for noticing things that didn't seem to exist. One time when she was in the park after school she could have sworn she saw a face in one of the plants wink at her. Then, there was the time when she was on the way to school she thought she saw a one eyed creature lurking in the alley but her friends hadn't seen anything. One time Sally thought there was a man attached to the horse she'd seen near the race track. Uncle Rich had always dismissed these notions of course. And this man clearly hadn't been expecting Sally to be able to see him. But the idea that this man was a _god_. Now that was just absurd.

"So I see things that no one else can see," Sally began. The man's smile increased and she could see the way it lit up his face, causing his eyes to crinkle in delight. "That doesn't mean I think you're a god," she added hastily.

"I could prove it to you," he suggested.

"And how exactly would you do that?" Sally wondered. The man didn't reply. He just joined Sally on the sand. He turned so that he was standing next to her, both of them facing the ocean. He raised the trident and pointed it towards the waves. Suddenly, the tide changed. The waves, which were almost none existent at low tide, surged to life. Huge swells came crashing down so fast that they should have engulfed Sally and her companion but the waves just stopped at their feet. It was almost as if there were an invisible barrier between the water and the two standing on the shore.

"How did you do that?" Sally exclaimed.

"God of the sea," he reminded her. Thoughts were rushing around in Sally's head faster than she could keep up. She had just seen the ocean change drastically. She knew it was impossible and yet it had happened. The man next to her was insisting that he was a god. It was all too much. Sally sat down in the sand, pulled her legs into her chest, and let her head rest on her knees. Perhaps she was imagining all of this. Or perhaps she was going insane. When Sally looked up, he was gone.

* * *

That night when she was trying to fall asleep, Sally did her best to convince herself that everything that had happened on the beach was all a dream. She had almost believed the lie too. That is, until the next morning when she went in to work. Sally stepped out of the kitchen, balancing a tray full of breakfast for the early risers when she spotted him at the counter. He was dressed differently this time. When she'd seen him in the ocean he'd been wearing a simple swimsuit. Now, he had on khaki shorts and a cheesy Hawaiian t-shirt but there was no mistaking those eyes. It was him.

Sally nearly dropped everything she was carrying. How had he managed to find her? She tried to stay calm while on the inside, she was really starting to panic. This man had to be crazy, completely out of his mind. Sally handed the food to the appropriate customers and turned to make a hasty retreat to the kitchen.

"Excuse me miss?" came that achingly familiar voice. Sally turned to find him smirking at her. "Can I get a cup of coffee please?" Great, now she had no choice but to interact with him. She ducked behind the counter and grabbed the coffee pot and a mug. This man was going to get a very stern telling off. She wanted him gone. Luckily, he had seated himself far enough away from the other customers so that she could speak quietly and no one would hear anything.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" she hissed at him as she poured the hot beverage.

"Drinking coffee," he replied unfazed by her tone.

"I meant what do you think you're doing at my place of work," Sally clarified still glaring at him.

"I wanted to see you," he said simply.

"If you don't leave me alone I am going to call the police and tell them I'm being stalked by a crazy man who thinks he is god," Sally issued the threat with what she thought was quite a lot of authority and confidence. The man didn't seem to agree.

"A god. Not god. Big difference," he pointed out. Sally wanted to strangle him. How could he be so calm? He had to be a sociopath. "Listen Sally, I think you and I got off on the wrong foot." Sally stared at him open mouthed. She was about to insist he tell her how he knew her name when she remembered the nametag that was a part of her uniform. "I probably shouldn't have started with the god stuff. I should have given you a fake name but you took me by surprise. I didn't expect you to be able to see through the mist."

"Why won't you leave me alone?" Sally whispered. The man considered her question for a moment.

"I'm not sure," he finally said after a few moments of silence. "There's something about you." On any other occasion, coming from any other man, that comment would have floored her. Instead, it just frustrated Sally even more.

"You can see through the mist," he insisted, "And if you want more of an explanation you should meet me by the ocean after you're done working."

"Jackson!" her boss yelled. Sally looked up. "Are you going to take orders or stand behind the counter not serving?" he asked. Sally didn't understand; was serving the crazy man some coffee. She looked at the self-declared god who just smiled arrogantly. So it was true. No one else could see him. And yet she could.

"I think I'm going crazy," Sally sighed.

"You're not," and with that, the man disappeared.

* * *

Sally had no intention of going to the beach after work. She was going to avoid the ocean at all costs. And yet, she found herself changing into a bathing suit and wandering out of the cabin towards the water. The curiosity was killing her. Maybe she was crazy. Maybe that was why she saw things that no one else could. Maybe this Poseidon figure was just a figment of her imagination. There was no harm in going for a short swim if that was truly the case.

There were still a few people lingering on the beach by the time Sally managed to talk herself into leaving the safety of the cabin. A group of children were building a sandcastle off to Sally's right. A young woman was laughing gleefully while her male companion attempted to fly a kite. A small girl was walking down by the water's edge. Sally smiled at the child as they passed each other. The little girl held a bucket in her hand and her eyes were glued to the ground. Sally nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the man who called himself Poseidon approach the child.

"Are you looking for something?" he asked her kindly.

"Seashells," she answered with a troubled look. Clearly her endeavors had not been successful. Sally was bewildered. How was the little girl able to see him? Sally wasn't the only one! She wasn't going crazy after all. The man caught Sally's eye and winked. He waved his hand discreetly when the little girl couldn't see. A large and very beautiful white conch shell materialized in his hand.

"You can have this one," he said offering the shell out to the girl. Her eyes went wide in her head. She seized it eagerly and held it up to her gaze.

"This is amazing!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. "Are you sure I can have it?"

"Yeah of course," he replied good-naturedly.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she gushed gazing up at him in pure adoration. He chuckled. "Mom!" the girl shrieked running over to the couple with the kite. "Look at this! Look at this!" And she was gone.

"She could see you," Sally spoke finally.

"Because I let her," he admitted.

"And you let me?" Sally asked.

"No you caught me by surprise," he laughed. It lit up his whole face.

"Who are you really?" Sally wanted to know.

"I told you," he said seriously.

"Right, Poseidon, god of the sea," Sally replied evenly.

"You don't believe me," he shook his head. For some reason the fact that she didn't believe him seemed to make him sad.

"Why should I?" Sally couldn't help but laugh. The whole idea was ludicrous.

"I'll prove it," he declared.

"You said that yesterday," Sally pointed out stubbornly.

"Yes but this time I'll prove it better!" he insisted. Sally laughed again. Without warning he grabbed her hand and the waves engulfed them.

"What on earth?!" she sputtered as the waves bore them out into the middle of the ocean.

"Do you trust me?" he asked searching her face with the greenest eyes Sally had ever seen.

"Of course not!" she yelled.

"Perfect," he grinned and then they were both completely submerged in the water.

At first, Sally thought he was going to drown the pair of them. Then she realized that she could breathe. They were underwater and she was breathing. Shocked, she looked up to see the man grinning at her.

"Told you so," he teased.

"How is this possible?" Sally wondered out loud. She gasped as a dolphin swam by and nuzzled its nose up against the man. He pet it affectionately.

"God of the sea," he reminded her. Sally just stared. "You can't still be in denial," he groaned. "Do I have to show you the palace?"

"You have a palace?" she blurted out. He just raised an eyebrow at her. Sally blushed under his gaze.

"Do you believe me now?" he looked so earnest that Sally couldn't help but nod. It was almost as if he needed her to believe him.

"I just don't understand," she sighed.

"When you were in school did you ever study mythology?" he asked in a gentle tone.

"Greek mythology," Sally nodded.

"Well, all of those stories are real," he explained, "the gods follow Western civilization wherever it may go. We're immortal as long as the fire of western civilization continues to burn."

"And you're Poseidon?" Sally couldn't believe it. And yet, somehow, she could. He nodded.

"There's this thing we refer to as mist. It keeps my world veiled from yours. But sometimes mortals like yourself are born with the ability to see through it. It's why you've always been able to see things that other people can't. You've been seeing the world for what it really is. You're exceptional." Sally blushed again.

"This is a lot to take in," she informed him. Poseidon nodded. "You don't look like a god." He laughed loudly. So loudly that the dolphin took off.

"I can appear however I would like in terms of my age but if I ever took on my true godly form in front of a mortal like yourself, you would die." He said it so straightforward that Sally had no choice but to accept it. This bearded man was Poseidon. God of the sea. It occurred to Sally that they were still underwater.

"Do you think maybe we could?" she gestured up to the surface.

"You don't like it down here?" he sounded disappointed.

"No I do! But it's a lot to process and it would be nice to do some processing above the water," Sally admitted.

"Oh right of course!" came his reply. He grabbed her arm and propelled them through the water until they were back on the beach. Hesitantly, Sally sad down in the sand next to the man, she still couldn't bring herself to think of him as Poseidon.

"Could you tell me some more about this, um, myth stuff?" she asked in what she hoped was a calm voice. On the inside she was terrified.

"What would you like to know?" he asked with a small smile.

"Everything," she declared. And so he told her.

* * *

One week later it was hard to imagine that Sally had ever doubted that this man was Poseidon. He would come and find her every day after work and take her into the ocean. He showed her sea creatures that Sally never even knew existed. He took them deeper into the ocean than was possible for any human to go. He introduced her to the world as it really was. He opened her eyes to what was possible.

"Why are you showing me all of this?" Sally asked as they were watching the sunset. "Why didn't you just leave me alone after that first day? I would have convinced myself that I had imagined our interaction."

"I don't know," Poseidon admitted. "There was something about you that made me want to come back for more. I also think you deserve to know that you're not crazy. That when you see something that no one else can see it's really there and not your mind playing tricks on you."

"Well, thank you," Sally smiled. "I know I didn't make it easy for you." He laughed.

"That's an understatement. But it made me like you even more." Sally blushed at the compliment. She didn't take praise very well, she never had. "How long are you in Montauk for?" he wondered.

"Until the end of August, then I head back to the city," Sally sighed wistfully. She wished that she could stay in the cabin by the sea forever.

"Would you mind if I kept seeing you like this?" he sounded less sure of himself. That struck Sally as odd. In the week that she'd known him she learned that Poseidon was always confident and easy going.

"Are you asking me out?" she laughed.

"What do you mean asking you out?" He repeated the phrase as if it were foreign to him, which Sally realized it probably was.

"Er, that's what us mortals call seeing each other," Sally tried to explain. "Well not just seeing anyone. It's more like when two people are interested and—" She stopped speaking when she realized that Poseidon was laughing.

"You know what it means you were just pulling my leg!" she exclaimed swatting his arm. That was another thing. Poseidon loved a good laugh. He was always making jokes and keeping the mood light. It was very different from anything Sally was used to.

"Pulling your leg?" he echoed in the same questioning voice.

"Playing a joke on me," Sally replied rolling her eyes. He probably knew what that meant too. Poseidon looked thoughtful for a moment.

"That's a weird expression," he finally decided. Sally laughed, so it was.

"Technically, I don't always have legs," he added.

"What?!"

"When I'm in the palace and in my realm I look different," Poseidon told her. "I think mortals call it a mermaid."

"Merman," Sally couldn't help but correcting him. But she smiled internally at the thought of the god of the sea referring to himself as a mermaid.

"Whatever," he brushed it aside, "you never answered my question."

"Your question?" Sally echoed.

"Can I see you like this until you leave?" he asked in earnest. Sally couldn't believe that Poseidon wanted to spend the next two months with her of all people. But he was looking at her with such a serious expression that she couldn't help but say yes.

And she didn't regret it. The next two months were the happiest days Sally could recall in years. Poseidon insisted on doing everything with Sally from going to the theater to watch terrible movies that she secretly loved, teaching her how to surf even though she was terrible, staying up late to watch the stars come out and then falling asleep on the couch in her cabin, taking Sally underwater to look at the marine life, to walking on the boardwalk and eating ice cream as if they were the most normal couple in existence.

Poseidon was one of the nicest men Sally had ever met. He was always going out of his way to make sure that she was happy. His easy going smile was contagious and he never once raised his voice. Poseidon thought that Sally was incredible and he told her all of the time. She blushed every time he complimented her but that didn't stop him.

And although he was careful never to say it, she knew he loved her. It was in the little things he did. Like the way he would gently hold her hand when they walked along the water on their way to the boardwalk. Or how he would make a point of stopping by the diner where she worked to order a cup of coffee every day just so he could see her. It was in the words that he spoke and the way that he looked at her.

But no matter how happy they were together Sally knew it wasn't going to last. Poseidon had told her as much in the first week he'd known her. Gods fall in love with mortals all the time. But they can never stay with them. It was just a fact of life, or immortal life. So Sally did what she could to enjoy herself but not fall in love. It wasn't easy.

Sally had always felt out of place but with Poseidon it truly felt like she belonged. He was someone who understood her pain and loss in a way that no one Sally knew could. He recognized her brilliant mind for what it was while all of her peers assumed she was stupid because she had to drop out of high school. Poseidon appreciated and knew what it was like to have responsibilities, to feel as if the weight of the world was resting on your shoulders, the way Sally's former friends never could. When she was with Poseidon, Sally felt like she was with her other half. It made her the happiest woman in the world but also the saddest. It would never last. She knew that and yet she loved him anyway.

"I wish I didn't have to leave you," Poseidon sighed as he traced patterns on the palm of her hand. The two were lying side by side on a blanket on the beach staring up at the night sky.

"Me too," Sally answered his sigh with one of her own. It wasn't the first time they had discussed their inevitable departure at the end of the summer but that didn't make it any easier for Sally to bear. "Why do you have to go?" she couldn't help asking even though she already knew the answer.

"The longer I stay here, the more human I become," Poseidon told her while still holding her hand. Sally didn't see the problem with that.

"Why would that be such a bad thing?" she wanted to know. Poseidon told her that the gods envied mortals because of their humanity.

"Because the more human I become the more I forget about the fact that I'm supposed to be in charge of a realm," Poseidon explained. It made sense. The more time he spent with humans the less he cared about the immortals.

"And you have a responsibility to the realm," Sally added.

"Right," Poseidon nodded his affirmation even though Sally couldn't see. She had her eyes glued to the stars above them.

"I wish I could take you back with me," his voice sounded both wistful and apologetic.

"That's okay. I have dreams and hopes for my humble mortal life. I need to be here to accomplish those goals," Sally smiled thinking about how one day she would go back to school and write a novel.

"Sally Jackson, you are a queen among women," he told her smoothly. Sally laughed.

"Poseidon, you are full of it," she snorted. With her modest background and meager income, she was the farthest thing from a queen and they both knew it. He turned over onto his side to look at her. Sally mirrored his actions until they were both staring into each other's eyes.

"I mean it. You are one of the strongest people I've ever met, mortal and immortal combined. It's one of the things I love about you," Poseidon had assumed an uncharacteristically serious tone. Sally blinked. He'd never told her that he loved her. She knew it but she never heard him say those words out loud. It was unnerving to hear him say it now. "You know that I love you right?"

"Yeah, I know," she said breathlessly.

"Good," he said gruffly, leaning in to kiss her. Sally leaned eagerly into his arms, relishing every second of his lips caressing hers. She would never get used to the way her body responded to his. Every time he connected with her, tingles and shivers ensued. There was nothing she could do about it. There was no getting used to the feeling. In those moments, Sally would give anything in the world just to freeze time and stay together forever.

* * *

The day Sally had been dreading finally arrived, her last day in had one day of work left. She and Poseidon were going to spend all day and night together and then she was all set to drive back to Manhattan the following morning.

As was their usual routine, Poseidon met Sally at her cabin after she got off from work. Any other day he would have been happily joking while she changed into a bathing suit or something more casual than her uniform. Today however, he was quiet and subdued. Sally knew why but that didn't make her feel any better.

"What do you feel like doing this evening?" Poseidon asked as she unlocked the door.

"I'm not sure. I'm up for anything really," she told him truthfully.

"I was hoping you would say that," he replied with his usual charismatic grin.

"Oh no," Sally groaned, "what did I just agree to?"

"Do you trust me?" he inquired. Sally laughed. She remembered the first time he had asked her that. She'd shrieked back 'of course not!' That was back when she still thought he was crazy or a figment of her imagination. Now she knew better.

"Of course," she answered.

"Then I promise you that you will like it."

Several minutes later Sally found herself sitting on the deck of a sailboat while Poseidon controlled it. She didn't try to understand the mechanics of it. Somehow the boat just did everything Poseidon needed it to. Sally smiled as he joined her at the deck. Poseidon had thought of everything. He'd packed a small picnic dinner for them to share while they sailed and watched the sun set. The idea of sailing home in the dark might have frightened her if she wasn't with someone who could literally control the water.

"What are you going to do once you get back to Manhattan?" Poseidon asked conversationally.

"Oh I don't know work some more I suppose," Sally shrugged her shoulders. She hadn't given it much thought. She just knew that she had to get another job that didn't rely on the tourist season to pay her. Poseidon frowned. She knew that he didn't like the idea of her working all day every day. "Let's not talk about that though," Sally brushed off the topic.

"Then what would you like to talk about?" he wondered.

"Let's not talk at all," she suggested. Poseidon grinned as he caught on to her meaning. He cupped her chin and tilted her head back. Sally smiled into his kiss. She wanted to savor these last moments. She didn't want them tainted with discussion of a future where they were not together. Finally, Sally managed to pull away. It was just in time to watch the sun disappear on the horizon.

"Oh it's beautiful," she sighed.

"It's a much better view out here on the water than it is back on the beach," Poseidon observed. Sally agreed and lopped her fingers through his. They stood side by side as the color faded from the sky.

Eventually it was time to head back to her cabin. Poseidon joined her as he did most nights these days. It was their last night together and she wasn't about to let him disappear into the sea. As she lay in bed trying to fall asleep Sally wondered if she would ever be able to look at the ocean and not think of him. Probably not. It was a sobering thought.

When Sally woke up the next morning, Poseidon was already gone. She was shocked to find his side of the bed empty. She hadn't expected him to leave without a goodbye. But perhaps it was better this way. Just as Sally was coming to terms with her lack of closure she noticed the note on her bedside table.

Sitting on top of a piece of paper was a turquoise piece of sea glass connected to a gold chain necklace. Sally stared at it for a few minutes, admiring the way the color looked in the light. It was beautiful. It reminded her of the way Poseidon's eyes looked when they were reflecting the color of the ocean. Moving aside the necklace, Sally picked up the paper and read the note scribbled in what must have been Poseidon's handwriting.

_**Sally,**_

_**I'm sorry to leave like this but I couldn't bring myself to say goodbye. I didn't want to face the reality that I might never see you again. This way I can hold on to the hope that maybe one day our paths will cross again. Please keep this necklace with you. May it be a reminder that what belongs to the sea will return to the sea. **_

_** Love always,**_

_**Poseidon**_

What belongs to the sea always returns to the sea, Sally thought as she clasped the sea glass jewelry around her neck. It was a strange sentiment and yet Sally had the oddest feeling that Poseidon was right.


End file.
